Business: OM Signs and Graphics
Address: 670 S. Route 59, Naperville
Phone/Facebook: 630-453-5331, www.omsignsinc.com
Owners: Vinay and Urmila Bhandari, of Aurora
Years in business? Four
What does your business do? “We manufacture signs. We are in the business of visual advertisements for businesses. Whatever they can imagine, we can bring it to life,” Vinay, 45, said.
Is this a franchise? “Yes. We are part of The Sign Biz Network. There are 300 members,” Urmila, 42, said.
How does it work? “(A client has an idea), then we show them a visual format, designing the logo. We have to understand the client’s requirement. What colors? What is the theme? What do they do? We have to understand what they are trying to sell. Branding their business. The first step is branding. Then we do exterior signs, interior signs, window graphics, vehicle wraps,” Urmila said.
Why did you start this business? “I had a good job (in IT). We were looking for something (else) to do. … We didn’t want to sell anything that may impact health like a snack shop, smoke shop, liquor (store). … Then we looked at restaurants. … It’s too much work. … We looked at education. … We wanted to check out a math tutoring place. As I was driving around, I couldn’t find it. … It dawned on me, maybe it’s signs.” Vinay said. “I said, ‘Let’s look at this. How do signs happen?’ Then we started looking around. There were sign shops everywhere. I looked at different franchises and said, ‘This is something.'”
What appealed to you? “Every new business from start to finish needs a sign. Coming soon. Now open. Now hiring. This sign. That sign. If you go out of business, guess what, an out of business sign,” Vinay said.
Do you two get along as married business partners? “There are some frictions,” Vinay said. “Fantastic, knock on wood,” Urmila said.
You make the signs? “Yes, but we have installers,” Urmila said.
Where are you clients? “Most are within five miles of Naperville,” Vinay said.
What’s the best part of doing business in Naperville? “A lot of businesses. A growing community,” Vinay said. “Our target market is B-to-B, business to business,” Urmila said.
Is there a busy time of year? “June, July and August,” Urmila said. “In the winter, nothing is going on,” Vinay said.
How has the virus impacted your business? “It was pretty heavy to start with. … Some of the businesses we worked with were left high and dry. Those signs have no value. … Business dipped and then (did better) with COVID-19 signs. Our business started picking up. Then we started struggling with employees. They didn’t want to work anymore. The government started paying them and they were making more money sitting at home,” Vinay said.
“The cost of raw materials has hit us very hard. Skyrocketed. Shipping costs have gone up. … We start charging more of customers. … The virus is no longer a worry anymore, but the virus has left behind a trail of worries,” Vinay said.
Do you enjoy the work? “We love what we are doing. I get excited when someone new comes in,” Urmila said.
Any negatives? “Sometimes, customers can get really picky. They have a vision in mind. We put it on paper. Then we bring it to life. Ten percent come back and say, ‘This is not what I was looking for,'” Vinay said. “That can get frustrating because we put in a lot of time and energy. But we want the customers to be happy.”
What misconceptions do people have? “Everybody needs it tomorrow,” Urmila said.
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Choose a business which can soothe the need of yours. … Create a niche,” Vinay said.
“Don’t be scared,” Urmila said. “It’s not easy to start. You need three years. … Anybody can play the game. Stay focused. Know what you are doing. Do your best. Be honest. Every day, you learn.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
